He's My Kinda Girl
by Mega-Erofan
Summary: A normal day for Alex Winshaw changes when he runs into the green changeling of Jump City on his way to classes, having his heart stolen at first sight. But can true love be called so, even if one pretends to be something they're not? Rated T for slash, and M for sensitive scenes in later chapters GizmoxOCxBB A/N-Chapter 6 is the longest chapter yet, sorry but enjoy it
1. The RunIn

It seemed like any normal day at Jump City University as Alex Burstaff made his way on his usual route around the campus. After working hard on the last minute details of his recent computer engineering class project, he needed a few minutes to himself before his next class began. This young, knowledgeable man didn't seem to know that his path would cause him to run into a life changing event for him and his future. As he turns a corner to the straight shot to his next class's building, he's roughly bumped into, causing both him and his "attacker" to fall to the ground. The two froze awkwardly for about a minute before the two squirm away from each other,

As Alex glances at the young man in front of him-he freezes, a pale pink fading onto his face as the young man before him stood up. His skin was a strange color of green, as was his hair; his ears were pointed like an elf's would be, and his eyes were huge pools of grape juice in his view. The strange young man chuckles, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to run into you like that." The young man apologizes, "I'm sorta in a rush to meet some friends,"

"I-it's alright," Alex timidly responds, slightly shameful of his feminine toned voice.

"Need a hand up?" The young man asks, extending a hand to the other.

Alex nods and grabs the young man's hand then is briskly pulled up to his feet,

"Thanks,"

"Not a problem, um..." The young mans hums,

"Alex," Alex responds, "Alex Burstaff,"

"Oh, right," The young man chuckles, "I'm Beast Boy, but call me BB."

Alex nods, awkwardly rubbing his now sore arm,

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Beast Boy asks,

"Just hit my arm wrong on the ground," Alex murmurs,

"Sorry," Beast Boy nervous apologizes, "How about I make it up to ya?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asks,

"Well, are you busy or anything?" Beast Boy asks,

"I was actually on my way to my next class," Alex says,

"Oh...when you you have lunch?" Beast Boy asks,

"After my next class, why?" Alex asks,

"How about I treat you to lunch later?" Beast Boy asks,

"Really? Just for bumping into me?" Alex chuckles,

"Well, I gotta make it up to you somehow," Beast Boy says, "Not everyday you bump into a beauty...but also not everyday you hurt that same beauty on the same day you meet them."

"Well...Alright," Alex agrees, "Just meet me outside the Kappa building at 11:45 and we can go,"

"Alright, cya Alex," Beast Boy says before taking off,

Alex giggles and hurries along to the Kappa building, barely making it to his class on time. Despite how he tried to concentrate on the lecture, his mind wandered off to Beast Boy, the kind boy he seemed to begin developing feelings for but he kept shaking away the thoughts, realizing that Beast Boy probably only was so kind to him due to his feminine looks-just as it was in high school, only at some points they never ended well. He sighs and concentrates on his notes as the rest of the class slowly passed by til 11:45 seemed to creep onto the clock above the teacher's board. Class is let out and Alex exits the Kappa building, not expecting to find Beast Boy actually waiting for him, but finding Beast Boy waiting at the end of the walkway to the road where they had bumped into each other, leaning against the large apple tree that beautifully bloomed.

"Hey Beast Boy," Alex calls out as he approaches,

"Hey Alex, you ready to go?" Beast Boy says as he turns to Alex, "You ready to go?"

Alex nods and the two take off, Beast Boy taking him to one of the popular pizza places in the city. The take their seats on the roof and order, chatting while they wait.

"So, Alex, where do you come from?" Beast Boy asks,

"Here actually, Jump City's been my home for years," Alex answers,

"Really? I've never seen you around," Beast Boy says,

"Well, it's a pretty big place, no two people ever cross paths twice in the same month." Alex explains,

"Well, I'd think after 2 or 3 years here, I'd remember if I'd seen a hottie like you." Beast Boy chuckles,

"My, you're quite a charmer, aren't you?" Alex chuckles,

"Yeah, why ask? Is it working?" Beast Boy asks,

"Not really, but you're quite cute to think I'm that gullible." Alex says,

"Aw man," Beast Boy whines, slumping back in his chair.

"I'm guessing you don't have much luck with the ladies then," Alex assumes,

"Nah, I have friends who are girls, but not a single girlfriend." Beast Boy groans, "It honestly sucks,"

"Well, it's not that bad," Alex explains, "Only makes when you actually get someone special to love all the more special since they'll be the first. I'd rather find my very first love years later then have multiple ones over one year."

Beast Boy chuckles as he sits up, "Yeah, I guess you're right," He admits, "You seem pretty smart-what classes are you taking at the University?"

"I'm getting into computer engineering, so I'm taking a lot of math and technology classes." Alex explains, "It's a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end."

"How much are we talking?" Beast Boy asks,

"I have 1 math class and 1 computer class in the morning, a break for lunch, then 2 math classes at night-and that's just on Wednsday, Thursday and Friday." Alex explains, "Monday and Tuesday, I have 2 computer classes in the morning, lunch break then 1 technology history class and a program engineering class at night."

"Holy cow!" Beast Boy exclaims, "How can you sit through all of those without falling asleep?"

"It's passion Beast Boy," Alex responds, "I'm passionate about my dream to be a computer engineer, that's what pushes me through my classes-it's what's pushed me through high school even."

Their orders are delivered and they begin to chow down, continuing to speak about their lives outside of their lunch date. Getting their laughs when soda comes shooting from Alex's nose at one of Beast Boy's jokes, nagging about the overuse of meat products in American foods everywhere, and making small jokes about everyday life. They finish their meals and leave, Beast Boy leaves the money to pay at the table. As Beast Boy walks Alex back to the University, Alex couldn't help but peek glances at the young man-his firm chest, slightly buff arms and toned legs coupled with his child-like features was a beautiful contradiction that seemed to balance itself in one of the cutest, funniest young men Alex had ever seen in his life. But despite his want for him, he could never truly have him-due to things even he couldn't control.

As the two stop at the entrance to the Theta building on the campus, Alex turns to Beast Boy.

"Um...Beast Boy?"

"Yeah Alex?"

"Is it possible if we could...hang out again?" Alex asks,

"Sure, if you want," Beast Boy asks,

"How about tomorrow?" Alex suggests, "I have a 3 hour break between my morning and night classes,"

"Alright," Beast Boy says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a slip of paper. "Here's my number, call me before you last class and I'll be here when you're let out."

"Okay," Alex says, taking the slip of paper from Beast Boy.

"Cya tomorrow," Beast Boy says before taking off,

"Cya!" Alex beckons back before turning to enter the Theta building.


	2. Innocent Details

It's been a month since Beast Boy and Alex had run into each other, and they've always met for lunch everyday since then, and they even explored some parts of the city on Alex's longer breaks. The weekends were free for the two to explore either the University campus or specific parts of the city, and this weekend, Beast Boy had actually asked Alex to accompany him to the park. It wasn't too surprising since spring was beginning to give way to summer-a good sign that his spring classes would be ending shortly, allowing him and Beast Boy to be out and about more often and later than usual. As Alex makes his way out of his dorm building, he runs into Patricia-one of his close friends on campus.

"Oh, hey Alex," Patricia greets gleefully,

"Hey Patty," Alex greet back, "You seem chipper,"

"Yeah, my Jazz appreciation class is going on a trip to a Jazz festival in a New Orleans next week, I'm so excited." Patricia squeals,

"Well, glad to hear that," Alex chuckles,

Patricia notices Alex's attire just then, "Um, what's with the outfit? You going somewhere?" She curiously asks,

"Yeah, I'm meeting up with BB again," Alex answers,

"Oh yeah, that boy you've told me about," Patricia sighs, "So...you think he's the one?"

"I'm not sure," Alex shrugs, "He might be like the rest of the guys I've met...but only time can really tell,"

"Well, good luck Alex," Patricia wishes, giving Alex a quick hug. "I gotta go and pack, I'll call you when I get to our hotel."

"Alright, just promise to bring me back something nice from there," Alex says,

"Will do," Patricia says, taking off for the dorms. "Cya Alex!"

Alex chuckles and hurries along to meet up with Beast Boy, who was waiting at the main entrance to the campus as always.

"Hey Beast Boy," Alex greets and he approaches the said green-toned boy,

"Hey Alex, you set to go?" Beast Boy asks,

"Would I have walked all this way if I wasn't?" Alex asks,

"Right," Beast Boy chuckles,

The two take off for the park, arriving in just an hour before they find a spot to settle down at, giving Alex a minute to feel his feet again.

"Man, I might mostly walk to my classes, but this is ridiculous." Alex chuckles, rubbing his ankle. "I should be used to this much walking by now,"

"Well, you tell me you spend most of your weekends stuck in your dorm," Beast

Boy chuckles, "Could that be the problem?"

"Maybe," Alex says, "My own fault I guess,"

"Nah, you got a lot of classes of focus on, can't blame ya if you want some private time between classes and projects." Beast Boy reassures,

"Not that I need it, working on my projects is enough private time," Alex says, "My roommate is the real life of the campus, or at least part of it, always going to all the clubs and parties around the city-kinda makes me jealous actually."

"Well, she does sound pretty fun-but I'm not much into party girls since they're all over the place." Beast Boy says,

"Right," Alex chuckles,

He hadn't really told Beast Boy about the mistaken gender thing, but he decided to wing it this time, thinking this might be his only chance at what he thinks is love. He'd have to endure being referred to as a girl, but it would be worth it in the end.

"So Alex, do you have any family in the city?" Beast Boy asks,

"Yeah, my mom," Alex answers, "She's practically raised me since I was lil',"

"What about your dad?" Beast Boy asks,

"He left," Alex sadly responds, "A few months after I was born, he left my mom and went to live across the country-Boston or somewhere like that. I only know what he looks like from a few pictures my mom kept, but I hardly know the man."

"So it was basically just you and your mom?" Beast Boy asks,

"Yeah," Alex says, "But she's the best role model I know-she's so strong to raise me and live a life all at once. I'm proud to actually know her like I do...but I'd love to know more than anything the reason my dad left her, especially after I was born."

"You'll find out eventually," Beast Boy says, laying a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"I hope so," Alex sighs, "But enough with that," He says, straightening himself out, "The past is the past, and there's no changing it now,"

"Hehe right," Beast Boy chuckles,

"C'mon," Alex says as he stands, "We got a lot of ground to cover,"

With that, the two boys take off again, only half way through the park, the two stumble upon trouble. It was Mammoth and Gizmo, seeming to high tail it with two large sacks of goodies. The two criminals clash with the young men, causing the sacks to go flying a good distance away as the four recover from the collision.

"Crud! Not you! This was supposed to be a undistrubed steal!" Gizmo exclaims,

"You two never give up, do you?" Beast Boy says as he and Alex climb to their feet,

"We might not have Jinx anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't keep doing what we do best!" Mammoth says,

"Which is nothing?" Beast Boy comments, causing Alex to giggle.

"Shut it snotbrain!" Gizmo snaps, activating his backpack's spider legs.

"Oh boy, so you have bionic spider legs coming from a locomotive device in your backpack," Alex sighs, "That's SO scary,"

"Shut your mouth prissy!" Gizmo snaps,

"Seriously, I'm more afraid of the big gunned armagedon over here than of a 5 year old being held up by spider legs that I could smack down with a pinata stick." Alex says,

Gizmo approaches Alex and lowers himself to Alex's eye level,

"How about you say that to my face snotface?" Gizmo growls,

"No, I was thinking more this," Alex says before roundhouse kicking Gizmo to the side, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Whoa, you know how to fight?" Beast Boy asks,

"Yeah, now wanna help me take care of Mr. Armagedon here?" Alex asks,

"I got him," Beast Boy says, transforming into a rhino and charging at Mammoth, who holds him back as he's barely pushed back by the force of the charge.

"Ha, you really think a puny lil' rhino while stop me?" Mammoth bellows,

"Not without some help," Alex says, jumping onto Beast Boy's back, running up then axe kicks Mammoth across the face.

Mammoth flinches, casuing his muscles to spazz and giving Beast Boy hte opening to charge Mammoth through a few trees. Alex lands then turns to Gizmo, who recovers as his short circuting spider legs twitched and sparked.

"You really think you stand a chance, don't you?" Gizmo chuckles, "Well, you're wrong there snotface!"

Gizmo charges and tries attacking with his spider legs, Alex avoids every attack and leaps above Gizmo, landing on Gizmo's back.

"Hey, get off of me!" Gizmo whines, trying to shake Alex off.

"Just give me a sec," Alex says before curb stomping Gizmo's pack then jumping off as the spider legs retract, causing Gizmo to fall into Alex's knee. "Maybe now you'll stop playing with grown-up toys,"

Alex waits for the cops to arrive after Beast boy returns as an elephant, carrying Mammoth with his trunk. After the cops take off and the stolen merchandise is returned, the two boys continue along their way.

"Alex, how'd you know how to fight?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well, when I'm not studying, I take kick boxing classes during the summer and winter." Alex answers, "How else do you think I spend my time away from campus AND stay in this shape when I don't have classes?"

"Right," Beast Boy nervous chuckles,

The two continue along until Beast Boy walks Alex back to his dorm just before curfew but Alex stops Beast Boy before he leaves.

"What is it Alex?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well, my classes are gonna be ending in about a week or two before summer rings in. I was wondering if you'd wanna go to the Summer Blowout at the docks?" Alex asks, "It starts the weekend I get out of classes,"

"Oh, sure," Beast Boy agrees,

"Alright, can't wait," Alex says,

Beast Boy takes off as Alex quickly returns to his dorm room, sighing dreamily. To think, his first probably legitamite date with Beast Boy was just a few weeks away. It would seem like an eternity before the day arrived, but he could wait it out from his moment of truth to shine-whether it turns out how he wants it or not.


	3. The Moment Of Truth

After two agonizing weeks of finishing up classes, Alex finally finishes his courses for the season, leaving his summer open until the last week of August, giving him nearly 3 months for him and Beast Boy to hang out-that was if tonight went off well enough for him. He sighs as he slips on his faux varsity jacket but leaving it open to reveal the New Orleans Jazz t-shirt Patricia had given him with his CD when she had returned from her trip to New Orleans; brushing his bangs apart in his usual style, he deemed himself ready to go. He grabs his small backpack and heads downstairs to meet up with Beast Boy. Stepping out into the cool evening, Alex sees Beast Boy waiting for him under one of the light posts nearby, sighing at how elegant Beast Boy looked under the low grade spotlight. His clothes were much different for that night: he had on a dark purple jacket with a black shirt underneath, a pair of tight black pants and his usual purple shoes-this change was a good sign to Alex, meaning he may just have a chance.

"Hey Beast Boy," Alex says as he approaches Beast Boy,

"Hey," Beast Boy says, "You all set?"

"Yeah, let's get going," Alex says,

The two than take off for the docks, a good hour and a half walk from the campus that seemed longer with them having to skip through traffic. They arrive at the docks where the Summer Blowout took place-a carnival full of many friends and family enjoying the fun of summer coming to Jump City again.

"So, what should we do first?" Beast Boy asks as the two enter the carnival,

"God, I'm not even sure," Alex chuckles, looking around. "There's so much to do,"

"How about a bite to eat first?" Beast Boy suggest, "You tend to think better on a full stomach,"

"Very funny, but good idea," Alex chuckles as the two walk off to the concessions area,

The two snack on some cotton candy as they walk around, both getting neon bright tints of pink and blue on their teeth as they did, which they found comical. After much walking around, they decided on several rides to get on: rollarcoasters, freefalls and many crazy rides you'd only find in a carnival. As they began to wind down, Alex decides to take a chance on an assumption and recommends one last ride.

"Man, this is awesome!" Beast Boy exclaims as they leave their previous ride,

"Yes, this is really fun, but how about one last ride before we have to go?" Alex asks,

"Sure, what you have in mind?" Beast Boy asks,

Alex takes Beast Boy by the hand and leads him to his ride of choice-the Tunnel of Love, the green boy blushes a bit from the suggestion.

"Um, are you so sure about this?" Beast Boy asks as Alex pulls him into the line,

"Yeah, we'll only be riding as friends," Alex says, "My friends do it every time they go to a carnival, it's fun,"

"Well, alright," Beast Boy nervoulsy chuckles,

The ride was one to be remembered by both, especially since Beast Boy hilariously changed to become a romantic French/Italian Romeo throughout the whole ride, having the two in a cheek ripping fit of held back laughter and goofy grins. But the entire time, both of them didn't notice their hands continuously coming in contact one way or another, enough that they both walked out holding hands without even realizing it until they were half way through the carnival, causing an awkward silence between the two til they exited the carnival. Halfway to the University, Alex stops Beast Boy at a not-so-busy street corner.

"Um Beast Boy, about the whole Tunnel of Love thing-" Alex nervously starts,

"It's alright, it was actually pretty fun," Beast Boy interrupts,

"Really?" Alex gasps,

"Yeah, the most fun I've ever had with a girl actually," Beast Boy says,

"Right," Alex sighs, blushing as he looked away.

Beast Boy notices the blushing, "Alex, are you okay?" He asks,

"Yeah, why ask?" Alex says,

"You seem a bit red," Beast Boy comments,

"Oh...s-sorry," Alex says, glancing away.

"It's alright," Beast Boy says, "You actually looks cute when you blush," He says, cupping Alex's cheek in his hand.

"R-really?" Alex stutters, causing his cheeks to turn redder.

"Yeah," Beast Boy lightly chuckles,

The two seemed to have been mere centimeters apart at the moment, tempting just a small kiss. But despite this, a ping of guilt hits Alex's heart-he'd been playing with Beast Boy's feelings by pretending to be something he wasn't, and he couldn't do that to himself or Beast Boy. He pulls away as Beast Boy tries to kiss him,

"Alex, what's wrong?" Beast Boy asks,

"I-I can't," Alex stammers,

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asks,

"I can't explain, it's just..." Alex just takes off the rest of the way to the University, only slowing down as he enters the University.

/How could I have been so thoughtless?/ Alex thinks to himself as he approaches his dorm building, /I feel like a manipulative lil' whore now...what the hell is wrong with me?/

Beast Boy only stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened in his mind.

/What's just happened?/ Beast Boy thought, /Did I do something wrong? Was I pushing it too far with trying to kiss her?/ He sighs and walks away back to the Tower, /Guess I'll have to talk to her tomorrow and apologize,/


	4. The Truth Hurts

The next day, Alex rolls out of bed, hardly feeling like facing the day with last night still plaguing his mind. What if Beast Boy came to visit him today? How was he gonna explain everything? Explain how he had lied all this time? How he pretended to be a girl the entire time for just the small chance he thought he had? He sighs heavily as he rises from his bed, throwing on one of his sleepshirts from his closet as he hears a knock at the door. He shuffles to the door, leaning against it as he calls out.

"Who is it?"

"It's Patty," His friend calls out from the other side, "Can I come in real quick?"

Alex sighs as he unlocks the door and lets his dainty, always peppy friend into his dorm room.

"What's this about, Patty?" Alex groans, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I heard you went to the Summer Blowout carnival with Beasty Boy last night," Patty squeaks excitedly,

"From who?" Alex asks, snapping from his groggy state by the news.

"DeShawna," Patty says, "She and Jeremy were there too and they saw you several times, including when you two went on the Tunnel of ~Looove~. She told me you two came out holding hands and just talking away," Alex blushed deeply at the reminder, "So, how did it go? Is he really the one?"

"I-I'm not really sure anymore," Alex sadly sighs,

"What do you mean?" Patty asks,

"The whole thing was just pretend," Alex says, sitting on the edge of his bed. Curious and confused, Patty sits beside Alex. "I pretended to be a girl hoping I'd get close to him, but when the moment came, I cringed and ran off...I can't believe how stupid I was to try this to begin with."

"It's alright, Alex," Patty says, consoling Alex. "Love makes us do a lot of stupid things-remember when I dated that French transfer student a few months back?"

"Yeah," Alex sniffles,

"You remember how I tried to dress all Frenchy-like to get him to like me and all?"

"Yeah, you spent fortunes on all of those clothes," Alex sighs, "Nearly ran down all your paychecks,"

"Exactly," Patty giggles, "I was so blindly in love, I forgot the one rule in life: always be yourself," Patty stands then kneels in front of Alex, "A lot of people try to be stuff they aren't to find what they're looking for, Alex-I tried to become French, you pretended to be a girl, and we both did it for love. Plenty of people have done worse than what we did for the person they loved-you shouldn't feel guilty for that, it's natural for us."

"I guess you're right," Alex sighs, "But how am I gonna explain it all to him?"

"Just tell him what I told you, but not as confusing," Patty says, "I'm sure he'll understand,"

"I hope so,"

"Well, I gotta get going, I'll see ya around." Patty says, hugging Alex before standing and exitting Alex's dormroom. She climbs down to the main floor and exits the two front doors, only to roughly bump into someone as she checks a text from her phone. "Oh, sorry about that," She apologizes,

"It's alright," The young man chuckless, picking up her phone from the ground and handing it back to her.

"Thanks," Patty says, she then suddenly recognizes the young man before him. "Wait, I think I've seen you around here before," She says, then it hits her. "Wait! You're Beasty Boy-you're Alex's buddy!"

"Yeah," Beast Boy nervously chuckles, "I'm guessing you're Patty,"

"Indeed, I am," Patty confirms, "But what are you doing here? Alex doesn't have classes for the semester,"

"I came to talk to Alex," Beast Boy says, "I need to apologize to her for last night,"

"Oooooh, alright, follow me," Patty says, leading Beast Boy into the dorm building. She leads him up to the second floor and down to Alex's room then knocks on the door,

"Who is it?" Alex calls out,

"Alex~, there's someone here who wants to seeeeeee yooou~," Patty calls back,

"Oh, well, the door's open!"

"Alrighty~," Patty says, "Good luck Beasty," She giggles before walking off,

Beast Boy sighs then carefully opens the door, peeking into the dorm room, finding it all orderly except for the computer desk in the corner of the room, which was cluttered with folders, papers and various other items.

"Just take a seat somewhere," Alex calls out from the bathroom, "I'll be out in a second,"

Beast Boy sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, contempling what to do next.

_/How am I suppose to do this? Do I just straight up apologize to her? Do I take her out to lunch again? What's it gonna take to fix what I did?/_

Alex steps out of the bathroom, blinded by the towel he was using to dry his face.

"Sorry, I just woke up a few minutes ago, I probably look a mess." Alex chuckles, slightly muffled by the towel.

"Not really,"

Alex freezes and slowly pulls the towel away, finding Beast Boy sitting on his bed. "Oh, h-hey Beast Boy," He greets,

"Hey," Beast Boy sighs as he stands, "Listen, about last night, I didn't mean to move so fast. I mean, we've only know each other for a month, I should've known better."

"I-it's alright," Alex stutters, there's an awkward pause until Alex nervously swallows before speaking. "Um, Beast Boy?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Beast Boy asks,

"I-I need to tell you something, but-I'm not exactly sure how to put this," Alex says,

"Sure, what is it?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well...to put it simply...I'm not what you think I am," Alex explains,

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well," Alex sighs, rubbing his arm nervously. /Dammit, I've been through this thousands of times, so why is it so hard to say this now?/

"What is it, Alex?" Beast Boy asks,

"I guess there's no easy way to say this," Alex murmurs,

"To say what?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well, remember when we first bumped into each other?" Alex asks,

"Yeah, what about it?" Beast Boy asks,

"Well, you're not the first one to go through this,"

"What do you mean?"

"In high school, I ran into a bunch of guys who thought the same thing, but it always ended badly."

"Why was that?"

"Because-" Alex pauses for a moment, "They fell in love with what they saw,"

"What they saw?" Beast Boy echoes curiously,

Alex timidly nods, "Y-yeah," He sighs, "Beast Boy...the thing is...I'm not..."

"What is it, Alex?" Beast Boy says, walking over to Alex and grabbing him by the shoulders. "You can tell me, it won't change anything."

"That's what the rest of them said," Alex murmurs,

"I promise it won't change anything," Beast Boy says, now hugging Alex, causing him to blush deeply. "Just tell me,"

"Beast Boy," Alex sighs, gently pushing him away. "I'm not what you think I look like," He pauses, "I'm...I'm not a girl,"

"You're...not a girl?" Beast Boy echoes,

Alex shakes his head and turns, biting his lip as bitter tears spilled from his eyes. "I'm sorry I lied to you all this time, I just thought...I thought I'd have a chance at something finally...but all I've done is make us both look like fools." Alex says, trembling in anger and sorrow. "I never wanted this to end how it did," He pauses and turns to Beast Boy, tears spilling from his eyes. "Do what you want, I probably deserve it anyway." Alex then just breaks down into sobs, falling to his knees on the floor, only waiting for a hit or the slamming of the door, but he never expected to be pulled into a strangely friendly embrace. Teary eyes snap open, he pulls back to look Beast Boy in the eyes.

"It's alright, Alex, people make mistakes," Beast Boy says,

"B-but I never should've played with your heart like I did," Alex sniffles, "I'm no different from any other girl out there,"

"Yes you are, Alex," Beast Boy says, "And not just because of your gender, but because you did something none of those others girls do,"

"W-what?"

"You told me the truth-even if it hurt both of us, you still told me the truth." Beast Boy says, "No girl out there would ever do the same thing in your place,"

"I guess," Alex sighs, "But I doubt this is the happy ending either of us were looking for,"

"Maybe not," Beast Boy sighs, "But something will come out of this,"

"I hope so," Alex says,

Beast Boy hugs Alex, letting him nuzzle against his neck as more tears spilled.

_/So do I,/_


	5. Needing A Hero

_-In Alex's dormroom was the spark of what was an accidental kiss when Alex had slipped on a folder lying on his floor, causing him to trip and fall on top of Beast Boy, who was sitting below him. Their lips had collided, both frozen in place by the sudden contact but graveyard silence soon turning to light moans as one kissed the other back, Beast Boy flipping them over to his place on top of Alex. As they break away, only lustful glances are exchanged before the smaller of the two strips himself of his bedshirt, leaving himself exposed to Beast Boy, who began to nip at Alex's neck. Alex whimpers and moans, quiet pleas and whispers only pressing the activity onward to a nearly unreturnable point. Small fingers lace into the dark green locks of the other as a sharp bite to the flesh causes Alex to squeak, but the pain is soothed by a soft sucking and kiss._

_As if reading the other's mind, Alex is suddenly lifted from the floor and set on the bed, allowing him to recollect himself as his green Romeo stripped of his hero attire, leaving on a pair of black boxers. Alex stands from the bed, draping his arms around Beast Boy's neck and pecking him on the lips. The peck is answered but a rough kiss back as the boys tumble onto Alex's bed in a passionate kiss. Growing pleasures have the boys undress fully from their remaining garments of clothing, skin making contact with itself as the two seemed to melt together into another kiss but the kiss is soon broken by a moan. Alex squirms at an intrusion from below as Beast Boy stretches him out, heavy pants and squeaks are results of the pleasureable intrusion. After some odd minutes, the intrusion leaves and is replace by another, a scream being muffled as to not stir anyone nearby. A few moments are taken for adjustment before Beast Boy starts, Alex claws into his back the more it went on, attempts to be quiet are thrown to the wind as their time together became rough and passionate up until-_

The banging on his dorm room suddenly wakes Alex from his sleep, he groans as he sits up; Patty beckoning to him from the other side of the door.

"C'mon Alex," She says, "You're gonna be late if you don't get up," Alex chuckles as he rises from his bed-Patty, always his stubborn alarm clock. "Alex!" Patty whines, banging on the door again.

"I'm up Patty, just get going, I'll catch ya later." Alex calls out,

_/That dream...seems to change each time, but it always results in the same thing-first at the carnival, then at the docks and now in my own dorm...what am I supposed to do about this?/_

It had been 4 months since the reveal of the truth between the two boys, yet somehow their friendship remained strong, though even Alex couldn't forget the moment that almost was-the night of nearly his first kiss. Something he'd been waiting for almost 3 or 4 years in his life for and he gave it up just to keep his friendship with Beast Boy-a stupid choice but one he could live with. But even he had noticed that he and Beast Boy slowly began to grow closer with each passing day, it was strange but true. And if this was so, maybe he did still have a chance, it would just be further in the future than he hoped.

As he dresses to head off to his classes, he hears another knock at his door. He rolls his eyes and approaches the door as he slips on his hoodie.

"Patty, I told you I'm up, you don't need to keep knocking on me." Alex chuckles as he opens the door,

Everything went black after that, until Alex slowly comes to again, only just feeling the pain his face was in.

"Dammit, what the fuck hit me?" Alex groans as he sits up, just then realizing the floor was cool metal and not the fuzzy carpet of his dorm room.

He looks around a realizes how dark it was, despite how he squinted to see around him. His vision flashes as light suddenly floods the area, causes him to go blind temporarily until his eyes adjusted again, finally seeing he was confided within a large room but a somewhat large cage-big enough for him to stand but not so that he could move around without making contact with the opposing side of the cage.

_/Where the hell am I?/_

-Meanwhile-

Beast Boy waits outside of the Kappa Building for Alex to be dismissed from class, but after 10 minutes, Beast Boy begins to worry and wonder about where Alex went. Patty, who was exitting the Kappa Building, notices Beast Boy and hurries over to him.

"Hey BB! Is everything okay?" She asks,

"Yeah, Alex just hasn't come out from class yet," Beast Boy explains,

"Really? He's usually out here before I am, he's in one of the classes closest to the exit." Patty explains, she looks back and notices her friend Deshawna. "Hold on,"

She hurries over to DeShawna and speaks with her real quick before returning to Beast Boy, a mask of concern worn upon her face. "That's strange," She murmurs,

"What is?" Beast Boy asks,

"I asked DeShawna if she's seen Alex-since they have the same classes and everything today, but she hasn't seen him all morning." Patty explains, "But I swore he was in his dorm room this morning-I've woken him up every morning for classes since his alarm clock broke last year. He never just skips his classes unless he tells one of us or his teachers,"

"Well, can you keep an eye out for him?" Beast Boy asks,

"Sure, but where are you-"

"I'm gonna see what I can find out," Beast Boy says, walking away quickly.

_/It really isn't like Alex to miss his classes, I wonder what happened to him?/_

After a few minutes of walking, Beast Boy finds the campus security center and manages to slip by the guards as a fly and find the survellience room for the dorms. He looks at a few of the tapes and notices one person that checks in as a guest with what appears to be a younger child but the guest doesn't check back out. He notices the two go up to the second floor then the camera's seem to go fuzzy until it looks as if they had vanished in thin air the next second. Curious, he continues on with this lead at Alex's dorm building, the name on the sign-in sheet appeared to be familiar. He quickly jots it down and then hurries off back to the Tower.

_/Maybe the databases can help me find out who this guy is...and if they have anything to do with Alex's dissapearence./_

-Meanwhile-

"Like your new accomidations snotrag?"

"Tsh, should've figured you were involved in this, Gizmo," Alex scoffs as the said villian approaches his cage, "Why the hell am I in a cage?"

"Because we wanted to put you in one...that and we had an order," Gizmo says,

"From who? And why would you want me?" Alex asks, "I haven't done anything to you guys,"

"Except interrupt our last heist," Gizmo snaps,

"It was one time and you guys were wimps the entire time, it only took like 5 minutes to beat you down then all I had to do is wait for the cops." Alex says, "Speaking of which, how did you get out of jail?"

"I have my ways," Gizmo chuckles, "But all you need to worry about is sitting in that cage of yours until snot brain comes to get ya with his friends,"

"Snot brain? You mean Beast Boy?" Alex asks, his cheeks tinting pink.

"Yeah him," Gizmo says then notices Alex's blush, "Why you getting so flustered?"

"No reason," Alex snaps, blushing deeper once it was pointed out.

Gears turn in Gizmo's head until he freezes-then proceeds to bust out laughing, "Oh god, you're in love with the snot brain!" Gizmo teases, still busting out in laughter. Alex groans and looks away as Gizmo settles himself down, "Well, then again, anyone would be dumb enough to fall for him-especially a girl like you." Gizmo says,

Alex, once hearing the one word, slowly grins as he chuckles-Gizmo is confused by this.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Gizmo says, kicking the cage.

"Oh nothing, something just slipped into my mind at the moment," Alex lies, still chuckling a bit.

"Well, just try to behave your damn self," Gizmo says as he turns and exits the area, "I wouldn't wanna have to hurt someone like you, girly,"

Alex busts out in laughter once Gizmo exits the area-he knew he would be fine if villians were as smart as this one came. But he also worriedly pondered-how would Beast Boy be able to find him at...wherever he was?

-Meanwhile-

After cross referencing names with enemy profiles, (with assistance from Cyborg of course) the two figure out the name belonged to Jinx.

_/Dammit, I knew they wouldn't leave well enough alone./_ Beast Boy curses in his mind, _/They must've done something to Alex...and it may well be my fault,/_

"Something bothering you BB?" Cyborg asks,

Beast Boy sighs heavily, knowing he'd need help if he was gonna get Alex back anyway. "Yeah," He sighs, "Jinx was at the University where Alex attends,"

"You mean your dude friend that looks like a chick?" Cyborg asks,

"Yeah," Beast Boy confirms, "But he wasn't at his classes this morning, it wasn't like him...I think Jinx might've kidnapped him or something."

"Kidnapped him? Why would she do that?" Cyborg asks,

"Remember a few months ago when I beat Gizmo and Mammoth and sent them to jail?" Beast Boy asks,

"Yeah, why?" Cyborg asks,

"...I didn't exactly do it alone," Beast Boy explains,

"Alex got involved, huh," Cyborg says,

"Yeah, but he kicked some major butt, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off if he wasn't there." Beast Boy admits, "And now he's in danger because of it, because of me."

"Well, there aren't many places they could keep him," Cyborg ponders aloud, "They have to at least be within the city limits if it was only just this morning,"

"I hope so," Beast Boy sighs, _/I really do...for Alex's sake,/_


	6. Holding Out For A Hero

_/Beast Boy, where are you?/_ Alex thought as he laid on the floor of the cage, eyes closed and retreating into his thoughts as best he could, ignoring the younger criminal watching him from nearby.

Skipping classes would've been fine by him-he needed a break this semester, but he wasn't enjoying the experience while stuck in a cage during his skipping, he felt like a trapped animal the entire time-though he didn't have much to worry about. These villians holding him captive were B-list, they couldn't hurt him if they wanted to, more or less kill him-just little kids with big guns. Though a thought did creep into his mind-what would they plan to do with him if and when they captured Beast Boy? He doubted they would just let him go; so many frightening outcomes crossed his mind, and his media exposure in the past did ease his worries. He could be forced to join them in their ranks, he could be taken off somewhere and left to die, they could leave him here to suffer in the dark, or even worse-they could force him to watch as they made Beast Boy suffer. The very thought made his insides twist, his limbs lock up, his mouth go dry-it would be a living nightmare to watch that.

"Hey, you still awake?"

Alex groans, swatting away the metal appendage poking at his face then sitting up and glaring at his small guard. "I am and I was fine until you started poking my face,"

"Well, you looked pretty dead to me," Gizmo teases, nudging Alex so roughly he fell over.

"Cut it out!" Alex snaps, trying to swat at the mechanical leg but missing each time as it moves around, Gizmo chuckling at the boy's cat-like annoyance.

"Aww, you're so adorable," Gizmo snickers, "Lil' kitty want to play?" He knocks Alex over again, pinning him down with the appendage on his chest.

"Get your freaky, spider leg off of me!" Alex growls, trying to move the said object but then finds two more of the apendages pinning his legs down, causing him to subconsciously blush. "G-get off," He struggles to slink out from under the forceful metal limbs, but is barely able to move an inch.

"Why? You sensitive, pretty girl?"

"Fucking perv-young or old, all you perverts are the same! Now lay off of me!"

"Settle down, I'm gonna hurt you," Gizmo darkly laughs, "Yet anyway,"

"You keep every limb of yours away from me!" Alex hisses, trying to move the spider-like limbs holding him down. The one on his chest suddenly moves just after Alex gives up, he goes to sit up but freezes when he finds the cage door open-Gizmo being the only thing blocking him. "What the hell are you up to?"

"I said I wouldn't hurt ya-never said I wouldn't cop a feel."

"You keep those creepy lil' hands away from me!" Alex screeches, trying to scoot away but being pinned down by his legs.

"Why should I? You're not hitched to someone or anything,"

"As far as you know," Alex snaps,

"Crushes don't count," Alex tries to squirm away again as two more appendages pin his shoulders to the ground but he continues to struggle-he's stopped by a grip on his thighs, causing him to lock up as his face flushes. "Really sensitive, aren't you?" Alex restrains his moans as tiny fingers lightly massage his inner thighs,

"Please," He breathlessly pleads, "Stop,"

"Why? Sounds like you're enjoying yourself," Gizmo sneers, hands slowly trailing up Alex's thighs, causing the small boy to squirm even more.

Everything seemed to go too fast for Alex, from his thighs to his hips and almost up his shirt even, all he wanted was for it to stop somehow. As hands slide along his hipbones, he began to violently struggle.

"Man, you really are sensitive," Gizmo snickers, grabbing Alex by the hips and slamming them against the floor of the cage, causing him to groan in pain. "Quit fighting and I won't have to hurt you so much,"

"N-no," Alex whimpers, shuddering as his legs are pushed farther apart.

_"Gizmo, Gizmo, we got a problem."_

Gizmo groans, sitting up and pulling out his communicator. "What is it, Mammoth?"

_"SeeMore spotted a green eagle flying by earlier,"_

"So he's searching from the sky?" Gizmo huffs and climbs to his feet, "Alright,I'll be out there in a second." He puts the communicator away then glances at Alex, who had squirmed his way against the other side of the cage. "Looks like you're safe-for now," Gizmo sneers, "But once we're done with your snot-colored Romeo, I'll see if I can change your mind." He shuts the cage, cackling as he exits the room, leaving a shaken Alex on his own.

_/He came so close, so close to finding my secret, so close to-Beast Boy, please hurry, please./_

_/This is the only other place they could be at-I really hope Cyborg was right about this./_

Beast Boy flies down and lands on a large pine's treetop, looking around and soon spotting a hide out a little ways away, spotting a familiar-looking large man seeming to guard it.

_/Found them!/_

He glides down from the tree to a secluded area, transforming to his human-like form and pulling out his communicator.

"Cybrog, can you read me?"

_"Yeah, I hear ya BB, what's up?"_

"I found where they're hiding out-they're in the old observatory to the west of the city,"

_"You mean Professor Chang's old hideout? Should've guessed," _Cyborg sighs, _"Alright, we'll be there soon, just don't do anything reckless, BB."_

"No promises," Beast Boy murmurs, shutting the communicator then leaning against a nearby tree, sighing deeply before glancing up at the sky. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into all this trouble, I never meant to put you in any danger-I care about you too much to do that."

_/If only I could say that to him now,/_

These strange thoughts of his had haunted his mind since Alex came out with his secret three months ago, he couldn't get him out of his head after that and he wasn't sure why. Not that he minded or anything, he really cared for his feminine-like male friend, but something about these thoughts surrounding the femme redhead did raise some questions, both about their friendship, and about himself. He had girlfriends before-kinda, but could he possibly be falling for Alex again? The _real_ Alex that had confessed to him all that time ago?

A screaming from the distance catches his attention, time seeming to freeze when he recognizes the screams.

_/No, Alex!/_ The Changeling morphs to a fly and takes off, approaching the base and seeing Gizmo exit to meet with Mammoth and See-More. He settles on a tree nearby and carefully listens into the conversation,

"So, which way did he go?" Gizmo growls, tapping his foot impatiently while looking at the two bigger teens before him.

"He seemed to be landing somewhere nearby," See-More explains, "Should we go search for him?"

"Well, he'll probably more or less find his way to us, but he might be waiting for his snot-brained teammates too." Gizmo ponders aloud, "Alright, go and see if you can find him-fight him if you have to, and his team too, but you bring him to me-alive."

Gizmo huffs and storms back into the observatory, Beast Boy quickly buzzes by Mammoth but runs into the door just as it closes then flies off to the side, landing behind a bush and transforming into a mouse.

_/Alright, I gotta find another way in, I have to be sure that he's in here./_ Beast Boy hums in thought before taking off along the side of the observatory.

"Well, seems your lil' green boyfriend is coming after you," Gizmo chuckles, "Not that he'll be able to bust you out,"

"Don't underestimate him so easily," Alex states, "He's beaten your butts once, he can do it again in a heartbeat."

"Don't kid yourself, girl, he's nothing without his team, just like he was nothing without you that day you two nosed into our heist." Gizmo sighs,

"Like you would've gotten away," Alex half heartedly chuckles, "Even IF we hadn't 'nosed in', his team would've caught you eventually-you just don't wanna admit how weak you really are, how you're so much like a kid that you can't pull off a single successful heist, with_ or_ without help from your big, scary companions."

Gizmo growls and slams Alex to the ground with one of his metal spider legs as he slams the cage door open before stepping inside, shutting it behind him as his appendage retracts. "So you think I'm weak, do ya? We'll just see who's weak here, lil' missy." Gizmo snarls, pushing Alex back down as he tries to stand, pinning him by his shoulders with his appendages again. "Now, where did we leave off?"

Alex struggles but soon finds hands traveling his body, another body becoming flush with his own, causing him to lock up as nimble fingers traced along his figure, his cheeks flushing and something stirring between his legs.

_/No, dammit, Alex, control yourself!/_ Alex yells in his mind as the sensation continued, when it suddenly stops and Gizmo pulls away from his body. He manages to peek out towards Gizmo, only then realizing why it stopped, what he had found. _/Dammit, he knows, so much for THAT advantage-now I really am dead./_

"Well, seems you've been hiding something from me," Gizmo chuckles; Alex simply looks away in shame. "And what's the matter with you?"

"You know my secret now," Alex murmurs, trying to hold back the tears. "You know what I really am," He glances at Gizmo angrily as tears threatened to spill, "Go ahead, laugh at me, it's not like anyone else hasn't before. They've all done it, and-" He stopped himself, memories from the past painfully flashing through his mind.

"And what?" Gizmo asks, Alex simply looked away again. "And what, Alex?"

"As if you would care," Alex mutters,

"You think you're the only one that's been treated differently because of your looks? The only one who's been pushed around your peers?" Alex slowly glances back at Gizmo, "Trust me, we've all been there before, now just spill it."

Alex shakily sighs as he looks away again, "When I was a Junior at Jump High a few years back, I had been through quite a few 'boyfriends'-I wouldn't really call them that, they only wanted my body and were repulsed when they found out I was a guy. But my Junior year, every guy seemed to be avoiding me, I assumed they all found out the truth about me, and I honestly didn't really care-I shouldn't have been so stupid."

"What happened?"

"It was in the middle of the school year, we were all in the locker room-it was the first year I was ever in a single room with a bunch a guys, because the principal knew about my...difference, and never really had me scheduled for gym. But I was required to take it for at least one year, and I figured since all the guys knew I was a dude, we both figured this would be the year to get it out of the way-I was so wrong. We came back from class and were changing, by the time I was done, all the guys I previously went out with seemed to have gathered in the area where my locker was at, all the way in the back corner. What a chance how I'd get the same gym class as all my exs, but I really should've noticed the signs before, I should've gotten out of that class while I could."

"What did they do to you?"

Alex sighed, trying to hold back more tears that tried to escape as he spoke. "Two of them held me down, and they each took a swing at me, muttering comments that I really couldn't hear. I excepted it all at some point really-all the guys ganging up on the one gay in the whole entire school and beating him down, I'd seen it before in movies, but you can't always suspect life to fold out like a movie." He chokes back a sob before continuing, "My oldest ex came out from the group-he was in my class year, he seemed the most furious and he was all too clear about why he was so pissed. 'You played with my heart all those years ago and broke it with one little secret-I'll show you what happens to the faggots in these parts.'." Alex sobs more violently; Gizmo quickly climbs off and backs away; Alex pulls himself up to sit against the cell wall, hugging his knees against his chest as he sobbed. Gizmo slowly approached his side as he began to calm down, "He pulled a knife out-and just dug into me." He shakily pulls his shirt up, revealing the healed scar that ran along the right side of his chest. "I-I begged him to stop, I screamed for help-but no one came, I was left there to bleed out like an animal left by the pack." He covers the scar up again and hugs his knees tighter to his chest, "I only had enough strength to stumble to my feet and out of the locker rooms before I blacked out-I woke up in the hospital two days later in critical care. The boys were arrested, and my mom moved me to that private school in the city-Murakami High School, so I could finish my Senior year safely, but it all never left my mind." He cries into his knees, not even trying to hold back the tears anymore. He's surprised by two gentle, comforting arms wrapping him and looks up with tear glazed eyes, finding his comforter was Gizmo.

"Sorry," The smaller teen mumbles, "I didn't know it was so personal, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright," Alex sighs, wiping away his tears. "All of us have 'em,"

"I guess so," Gizmo murmurs, glancing up and wincing as he noticed tears still spilling from sorrowful brown eyes, still sliding down the redhead's pale cheeks.

_/Poor guy, I didn't mean to break him, I was just messing around and look what that's gotten me caught in./_ Gizmo reaches into his pocket, finding something he had reluctantly forgotten about. _/Well, I was saving this for later, but I think he needs it more./_

"Here," Alex glances to the side, finding himself being offered a candy bar. "Jinx always told me chocolate makes everything better," Alex sadly smiles and takes the gift, quietly unwrapping it and taking a bite from it.

"Thanks,"

"No problem, figured I had to do something to fix this," Gizmo sighs,

The two sat in silence for a bit until Gizmo spoke up again,

"Would you-be comfortable showing it again?" Alex shoots him a curious glance, "The scar," Alex locks up then sighs and reluctantly pulls up his shirt again, showing the scar. Gizmo took a better look at it-the jagged pattern of how the knife that caused it cut the flesh more than once, the length as it sloppily curved from close to the other's collarbone to the back where he could feel the end of a floating rib. He glances up when the redhead chokes back another sob, noticing more tears threatening to spill.

"Makes my hideous, doesn't it?" Alex murmurs, biting his lip as he looked away. "That was his intention after all-make me feel so unlovable that I never-'play with anyone's heart again',"

"It doesn't look that bad," Gizmo comments, "Besides, I think scars are sexy,"

Alex looks back at Gizmo as his scar is recovered, his cheeks tinting a light scarlet. "R-really? I never would've guessed it,"

"Call it a quirk, but it's true," Gizmo half heartedly chuckles,

"Well, all of us have that little quirk," Alex states,

Just then, from a crack in the wall across the room, Beast Boy slips into the observatory and looks around, finding the place patched up by large sheets of metal welded over holes made the last time his team had been in there to stop Professor Chang. The only difference that stood out was the cage set in the middle of the room-with Alex and Gizmo sitting inside it.

_/I knew it, they DID kidnap Alex!/_ Beast Boy exclaimed in his thoughts, _/But why did they kidnap him? Aren't they after me? And what's Gizmo doing in there with him?/_

"Sounds to me like you think nobody's perfect,"

"Because no one really is," Alex explains, "If everyone was to be made perfect, we'd be a race of robots by now-perfection means organization, and organization isn't interesting for me. Needed sometimes? Yes; but not integrated into society like the government always tries to do. Everyone has a right to their own freedoms-no one should have to be controlled by those around them because they're a lil' different from those around them."

"You mean like you?" Gizmo hums,

"Yes," Alex chuckles, "Or like you-you're shorter than most everyone else," Gizmo groans at the statement, "But-you make up for it in smarts, and I honestly prefer people to be smarter. You can be tall as the Statue of Liberty for all I care, but stupid is a turn-off for me."

"Then why do you like Beast Boy so much?" Gizmo inquires, "If intelligence turns you on, why are you swooning over a bumbling idiot like him?"

Beast Boy, interested by this, scurries closer and hides behind the two as Alex spoke.

"Well-true, he did seem a bit ditzy when I first bumped into him at my college, but when we started talking, I could tell he was a really smart guy, definitely more open-minded than I was at the time. But he hides it behind a goofy mask-he wanted to be the funny guy, not the stuck-up smarty pants that would land in a business suit, I understood that about him." Alex explains, "Just like he understood me when he found out my secret,"

"Wait, he knows?"

"Yeah," Alex timidly sighs, "We sorta had a flip-flop relationship for a while, but we never actually dated, only cause I began to feel guilty before things really took off."

"Well, dare I ask, how'd he confuse you for a chick?" Gizmo asks,

"When we first bumped into each other, we kinda had a spark going, but when he called me a girl, I figured I'd play along after so many years." Alex sighs, "Over the course of a month or so, we grew so close that even I could feel the tension between us. I was even given a chance to get what I ever truly wanted-a relationship I could call my first TRUE one. But in the end, I gave it up because I felt too guilty about lying to him, so I ran off back to my dorm room. He came by the next day, apologizing for coming on too strong-which he didn't, he was sweet and patient, more than anything I wanted to tell him. That was when I ended up telling him the truth and apologizing to him for lying to him so long. But unlike every other guy I confessed this to, he wasn't disgusted-he was much more accepting, he even said I was braver than most girls out there for telling him the truth. It was the first time I ever felt accepted as I was-and the feelings just stuck to it, to that understanding and comfort I never got from any other guy."

_/So he does still love me? I didn't completely mess us up?/_ Beast Boy mentally sighs in relief, _/So we still have a chance, we could still be something, I just need to-/_

"But I doubt he'll find this scar sexy," Alex sighs, holding his hand over the area of the scar. "It's why I never showed it to him-I wanted to be perfect for him-to seem perfect to him, and now he probably expects it. If he ever found out about this-I'm not sure what I'd do,"

_/What? I'd never be disgusted by you, Alex,/_ Beast Boy pleads in his mind, _/I love how imperfect you are, from your hair, to your personality and everything in between. I love you because you're NOT made of plastic, couldn't you see that?/_

"Well, if he does turn you down because of that, you always have me for support." Beast Boy growls under his breath at the offer from the smaller teen,

"I'm not sure," Alex sighs, "I mean, you're an enemy of his, it wouldn't feel right to me."

"Well, I might be an enemy to him, but you're a neutral party to me." Gizmo states,

"What makes you say that?" Alex asks,

"Well, we've been sitting here the past twenty minutes, and the cage has been unlocked the entire time." Gizmo explains, "You haven't even tried to make a break for it yet, meaning you trust me, otherwise you would've tried to escape, whether the door was unlocked or not."

"I-" Alex found himself caught in a trap-it was true, if he truly was aligned with Beast Boy, he would've made a break for escape by now. But he felt safe here, beside the very person in charge of his capture-but why was that?

"You're not looking for enemies," Gizmo continues, as if answering his mental question. "You already found them a long time ago-you want friends now, no matter where they come from." Alex was surprised-was he really so easy to read? "Am I right?" Alex simply nodded, glancing up towards the door.

"Is that door really unlocked?" Alex asks,

"Go ahead and find out," Gizmo chuckles,

Alex slowly climbs to his feet and shuffles to the cage door, gently pushing it open with a creak. "Well, you were right-about everything,"

"I know," Gizmo sighs, climbing to his feet and joining Alex's side. "I'm not a complete genius, but I can read people like a book-got the skill from Jinx and Kyd, they seem to do it best."

"We all learn skills from our close friends-it's just natural," Alex states,

The two stood there for a moment in silence until Gizmo decides to speak up,

"So, you've never kissed anyone before?" He asks,

Alex glances to the side before turning to the shorter boy, "No, Beast Boy would've been my first if I hadn't run off,"

"What about those other boyfriends?" Gizmo inquires,

"I said they weren't my boyfriends," Alex argues, "And they were only pecks on the cheek, there never was any actual kissing-that's when they'd usually find out my secret."

"And that's why you ran from Beast Boy that night?" Gizmo asks; Alex simply nods, "I understand-but would you be willing to try it?"

"What are you saying?" Alex hums,

"Well, I've never kissed a guy and you've never kissed anyone-so it would be new to both of us really. And I already know you're secret, so you have nothing to fear really, and you're a dude, so it works out for me too." Gizmo explains, "So, what's there to lose? It would only be between us," Alex sighs, quietly pondering over the offer, tossing it about in his brain. "Of course, if you don't want to, I completely understand. It was just a silly thought any-"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Alex murmurs, catching both Gizmo and the hidden Beast Boy by surprised. "Like you said, it would be a first for both of us, and it would only be between us. So," Alex slowly drops to his knee, looking eye-to-eye with Gizmo, "I guess we could try it,"

Beast Boy frantically climbs into the cage to try and stop this, but by the time he manages to scratch his way onto the cage floor, the two boys already have their lips locked. Watching in horror as the simple kiss his crush and his enemy were sharing turned into something more passionate: hands grabbing at hips and arms locking around necks, hips grinding together as tongues battled for dominance over the other, muffled moans came from the more feminine of the two as small hands wandered over his back and backside, squeezing a few times to send the other reeling into orgasmic moans, their bodies almost melting together. All of it ends as the kiss was broken by the two, heavy pants echoing in the room as they locked eyes.

"Wow," Gizmo gasps, "That was-kinda hot,"

"Yeah," Alex pants, trying to catch his breath as his cheeks tinting scarlet. "Not bad for it being your first time,"

"Same can be said for you," Gizmo breathlessly chuckles, causing Alex to flush a deeper shade of scarlet. "Beautiful,"

The two share another simple kiss, the scene enraged the green rat watching-this was truly going to end badly for a certain pint sized villian.


	7. Romeo To The Rescue

_/Why that lil',/_ Beast Boy's thoughts growl as he charges and leaps, scrambling up the back of Gizmo's suit and catching the small villian by surprise.

"Hey, get it off me!" Gizmo yelps, scrambling from the cage as the large, green rat scurried around his body to avoid capture.

The rat propels itself from Gizmo's shoulder; landing, transforming, then kicking away the shorter teen before fully standing and turning to the downed villian.

"You keep your hands off of him!" Beast Boy growls, his deep purple eyes sharply glaring at Gizmo as he clumsily climbs to his feet.

"Beast Boy?" Alex gasps, recieving the green boy's attention.

"Alex, thank god you're alright," Beast Boy sighs, rushing over and gathering the smaller man in his arms. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Alex sighs, hugging the green boy back.

"Aw, how sweet," Gizmo teases as his spider appendages lift him from the ground to where he loomed over the two. "But you still gotta get past me first, snot-brain."

"Bring it on!" Beast Boy barks, turning and taking a protective stance as he stands between Gizmo and Alex, their sharp glares meeting one another.

Beast Boy charges, transforming into a rhino as he runs and tries to take out Gizmo's supports, but misses as Gizmo leaps to the side. Beast Boy turns and charges again, this time transforming into a bull for more speed, but he again misses as gizmo dodges him. Beast Boy charges a third time, this time becoming a tiger then charging and leaping with such power that he nearly reaches Gizmo, but he's smacked to the side by one of Gizmo's spider legs and is sent tumbling across the floor, soon reverting back to his human form.

"Beast Boy!" Alex cries, rushing over to the fallen hero's side. "Are you alright?"

"Ngh, I'm fine," Beast Boy grunts, carefully sitting up then glancing up as Gizmo approached the two, quickly pulling himself to his feet and pulling Alex behind him. "Don't come any closer, Gizmo, or I'll really hurt you!" The changeling growls,

"I'd like to see you try!" Gizmo snorts, "You can't beat me, not without your lil'-"

The door busts in and is sent flying across the room, taking out one of Gizmo's mechanical spider legs, and nearly taking out Beast Boy and Alex had the two not dived out of the way, taking cover as the dust settled down. The room clears, revealing the two boys close together and on their sides-Alex with his head nuzzled into Beast Boy's chest as Beast Boy held the other protectively against him, as if shielding him from another possible attempt on the other's life. Beast Boy lifts his head to look around, releaved to find no other dangers close by, then realizing Alex had not budged and quickly checks on the small redhead.

"Alex?" Beast Boy whispers; the other groans in response to his name. "Alex, are you okay?"

Alex slowly lifts his head from Beast Boy's neck, shaking his hair free of debris before looking up at his green-skinned hero with a weak smile. "Yeah-I am now," He murmurs,

"Listen, I really am sorry for dragging you into this," Beast Boy sighs, "This should've been my problem, you never should've been involved in this."

"It's alright, Beast Boy," Alex chimes, "As long as both of us are safe, I don't really care about all of what just happened-you came to save me, and that's all that matters to me."

"Right," Beast Boy chuckles nervously, glancing away from the redhead. "Alex?" The smaller boy hums at his name, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you before, but it won't ever happen again, I promise you."

"You don't need to watch me 24/7," Alex jokes, "I'm fine on my ow-" Alex is cut off by a sudden but gentle kiss, catching him by surprise but soon melting into the kiss before breaking away from his green-skinned friend. "Beast Boy?"

"I wish I had done that a long time ago," Beast Boy sighs, "Longer than you think,"

"W-wait, so you still-"

"Of course I do, Alex," Beast Boy confesses, holding the boy closer to him. "You haven't left my mind once since that night at the Blowout, I could never stop caring about you. I know I fell in love with a girl before, but now," He tilts the head of the other to look him in the eyes, "But now I'm in love with my best friend-the _boy_ that I've known these past few months, and the boy that'll never leave my heart or mind again."s

They two meet lips again until the awkward clearing of someone's throat catches their attention, the two boys sit up; Alex going bright red as he sees Beast Boy's team before the two-how long had they been standing there?

"Glad to see you two are alright," Cyborg sighs, walking over as Beast Boy climbs to his feet, who helps Alex up shortly after. "And sorry it only took til now to meet you, Alex,"

"Um, it's no problem," Alex nervously chuckles, "Had to happen eventually, I guess,"

"So you are Beast Boy friend-boy now?" Starfire asks, flying over to the two.

"Yeah, he is, Star," Beast Boy sighs, ruffling Alex's hair, causing the smaller boy to whine.

"How glorious, Beast Boy!" Starfire cheers, "You finally have a special someone!"

"Is she always like this?" Alex asks, nudging Beast Boy's arm.

"Yeah, but you'll get used to it," Beast Boy chuckles,

"I'll have to anyway now," Alex chuckles as well before pecking Beast Boy on the cheek,

"Enough lovey dovey, you two," Robin sighs, "Let's get you back to the Tower, just to make sure you're both alright."

The team, along with Alex, follows Robin out of the observatory and away into the forest, Alex and Beast Boy exchanging one last kiss before taking off after them, both chuckling as the pass the police, who were struggling to load Mammoth into the police van. A small figure in the shadows of the observatory growls after watching the loving exchange before the love birds vanish from his sight.

"You'll pay for this, Beast Boy," He mutters under his breath, "You'll see,"


	8. Time Heals Some Wounds

_It all seemed storybook perfect to him as he was taken back to the Titans Tower for his ump-teenth visit by Starfire on the unusually nice, winter evening. Every event that led up to now and hopefully the future wrote it's own plot in his mind-boy meets 'girl', boy loves 'girl', 'girl' loves boy, they become friends and hang out, months later they go out on a date, 'girl' feels guilty and runs off before feelings can connect, boy approaches her the next day, 'girl' confesses her secret, boy is accepting and they remain friends, months pass and boy and 'girl' are very close friends, 'girl' gets kidnapped by boy's enemies, boy comes and rescues 'girl', boy confesses feelings to 'girl' for her true self; that seemed to be the past story to his nearly three month relationship with the Changeling, but what would come next for them? He could only daydream and proposition over their potential future-a possible home close to Jump City, the two living peacefully in a commited relationship, maybe even adopting some kids if the two wished to settle down and raise a family-a picture perfect ending to a picture perfect story. He sighs dreamily as he and the Tamaranean touch ground on the Titans' island._

_"You seem content today, Alex," Starfire comments,_

_"Yeah, just have my head in the clouds," Alex sighs, glancing up at the clear skies above._

_"Why is that?" Starfire asks,_

_"Just pondering future hopes and dreams, silly things," Alex chuckles, walking away to the Titans Tower. "But we best move along-the future doesn't wait for the static ones."_

-3 months later-

Alex pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up, shielding his head from the falling rain, though the gloomy day had already found it's way to his heart as he made his way to the outskirts of the city. He did not dare wish to think about it, the moment that very well shattered his heart as he trudged through the weather that soaked him through to his skin, but did not make him any colder than his fractured heart did at the moment. After some time walking, the feminine redhead finally reaches his predetermined destination: a cliffside he had stumbled upon while exploring the forest with his-his heart ached at the thought of him, but at the same time, he could not help but think of him, of the one who stole his heart once before but was now the cause of the pain that throbbed within it. He had given everything to him, he had even given himself to him, but as he discovered, it seemed it was not enough for him-it never was. As he climbed up to the cliffside, he could not help but to think of what went wrong between them.

Did his college classes get in the way of their relationship? They had worked out being friends around it before and had just as easily converted it when they became lovers, so that was not it. Did he ever do something he did not like? That answer quickly vanished, they loved everything about each other-he was a manly gamer while Alex was the feminine artist, they never asked for anything more or less of the other. But it still made him wonder: what had he done wrong to deserve this sort of betrayal? The answer sadly evaded him as he reached the top of the cliffside, giving him a view of the city below. He pulls down his hood, not even caring about the rain that was beating at the back of his head or the chilling winds that reddened his cheeks and nose and made his already redden eyes water, he just stopped caring at that point.

"What's the point?" The redhead quietly asks himself, "What's the point of living life if there's nothing to really live for? If all life can do is stab you in the back and rip your heart out? What's the point of enjoying life if all it gives back is pain and misery?"

"That sounds like a quitter to me,"

Alex glumly glances over his shoulder, finding his pint-sized friend behind him, the hood of his one piece suit shielding his head from the rain. "Yeah, so what if it does, Mikron?" Alex mutters, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"The Alex I know isn't a quitter," Gizmo sighs, "And he wouldn't be out in this weather by himself, talking in such a glum way-it's not like him."

"Well, maybe that Alex just doesn't exist anymore," Alex mutters coldly,

"Yes he does, otherwise he wouldn't have called me by my real name," Gizmo states, "Only the Alex I know would know my real name-he's the only one I ever revealed that to." Alex simply fell silent, "C'mon, what's wrong? Something's obviously bugging you,"

"Why are you nosing in it?" Alex snaps, turning to the smaller teen.

"Because I care about my friends, especially when they talk so darkly on days like this," Gizmo explains, "I just don't want you doing something you'll regret,"

"I've already done plenty of things I've regretted, some things I can never take back." Alex somberly mutters, "I've just stopped giving a damn now,"

"Don't talk like that, Alex," Gizmo growls, "You sound like you're gonna-" Gizmo stopped, glancing up at Alex, who had turned back to the cliff and was now gazing down at the ground far below, his expression darkly blank. "Don't you dare, Alex,"

"Don't I dare what?" Alex huffs,

"You know what I'm talking about," Gizmo barks, "Whatever the heck has you contemplating this, it's not worth dying over."

"As far as you know,"

Gizmo growls and storms up to the feminine male, roughly yanking him by the arm to turn him around. "As far as I know, _nothing_ is worth taking your life, nothing, doesn't matter what it is! Dying is the easy and weak way of getting out of jams, and you're not weak, Alex, I _know_ you're not."

"And how do you know that?" Alex grunts, pulling his arm free from Gizmo's grip.

"Because if you were weak, you never would've fought the way you have," Gizmo states, "You never would've survived through high school after what those boys did to you, you wouldn't have lived through what you endured, you never would've fallen in-in love with-with Beast Boy," Alex simply falls silent, having turned back to the cliff. "Alex?"

Alex simply peeks over his shoulder; Gizmo gasps at the tears that obviously spilled from the brown eyes that meet his gaze, only seeing sorrow and anguish reflected in them.

"I'm sorry, Mikron,"

"Alex!"

A single step snatched Alex off the cliffside-causing him to plummet to the ground dozens of feet below, though it all moved in slow motion for him as he fell.

_/I shouldn't hold you back from who you really love now, Beast Boy, go ahead and move on with your life-you've forgotten about me anyway./_

Alex shuts his eyes as the ground quickly approaches, but soon finds himself abruptly stopping in mid-air then slowly floating down through the air. He peeks out through one eye, finding Gizmo had caught him; the two land and he is carefully sat him on the ground against the cliffside. He looks away as Gizmo kneels beside him,

"Something happened between you two, am I right?" Gizmo asks, gently wiping away the tears on the redhead's face as the glumly shimmering browns looked back at him.

"No," Alex murmurs, "It's what DIDN'T happen between us,"

Gizmo cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "What did the snot-brain do now?"

Alex's gaze fell to the ground, tears quickly spilling again as his composure crumbled shortly after it. "I-I caught him with that Raven girl," He whimpers, "At first I thought she was trying to come onto him with a kiss-but then he started getting into it and-" Alex's fingers dug into the ground as sobs shook his body, "The bastard stabbed me in the back!" Gizmo was shocked, he knew Alex could get emotional, but he never cursed unless he was truly angered by something, meaning he was not just him overreacting-this was serious as it could get. "He fucking went behind my back for some mopey bitch that hides under a cloak all day, he cheated on me for that!" Bitter tears quickly flooded his eyes and flowed down his cheeks, "I-I knew he had feelings for her, he told me himself before, but to think he'd go behind my back for her, after everything we've been through, after all this time? How could he?!"

Gizmo could only comfort the redhead as he spilled his shattered heart to him, calming down the further it went along until his voice and sobs eventually crumbles to hoarse whispers and cracked whimpers, giving him a few moments to absorb everything.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Gizmo sighs, gently rubbing the young man's back as the other silently cried into his shoulder. "I know it'll never be enough, but I'm sorry about it all. He never deserved you to begin with, he was too cocky for his own good, and now look what he's done-he's broken such a beautiful young man over some moody chick. He doesn't even realize what he's thrown away," Gizmo gently makes Alex look up, wiping any trance of tears from the porcelain face. "This shouldn't be you-this ISN'T you, Alex. You're meant to be happy and looking forward to your future, not contemplating over the worth of your life because of some guy who can't control his actions." He quickly blinks away tears forming in his eyes as he stared into the sorrowful browns before him, "His stupidity almost took something special from this world, from your friends, and-and from me." Tears he had been holding back now escaped as he continues, "He never had the right to hurt you, to play around behind your back, to betray your love. He shouldn't have thought of anyone but you, you deserve that much. You never deserved a cheating snot-brain like him, you deserved someone better-but you were happier with him."

"Gizmo?"

"He failed in keeping you in his heart and on his mind-but you never left mine, even when I wanted you to." Gizmo confesses, "Since that day in the observatory-that kiss we shared, none of it has left my mind to this day, nor has my burning passion for you, or the steaming jealousy I had towards him for stealing you away from me, for getting to you first, for everything he has done or would've done to you. I should've done something or said something sooner, but I didn't to keep you happy. And what did that do for us? Now you're heartbroken, you nearly lost yourself _and_ your life, and-and I nearly lost the meaning of _my_ life."

"Gizmo,"

"I should've noticed it before-how he was always off with times meeting up with you after your classes, how he was trying to avoid you some days just out of the blue, how his behavior changed dramatically around you-something should've warned me of this. Maybe then you wouldn't be so hurt, and I wouldn't feel so guilty." His voice was becoming more and more shaky as he continued rambling on, "I-I failed to protect your heart from breaking, f-from the sorrow I knew would co-consume you. I failed you as a friend-and a guardian angel. I-I-"

"Mikron!"

The shorter teen looks up at the mention of his name, soon meeting lips with the redhead, a gentle kiss from quivering, tear soaked lips that he gladly accepted, bringing back memories of their first kiss. He embraces Alex, deepening the kiss for a few minutes before breaking away, their eyes meeting once more.

"Sorry, I talk too much," Gizmo nervously chuckles,

"No, you said just enough," Alex whispers, pecking Gizmo on the forehead before allowing his own to make contact with the others. "Thank you-for everything,"

The two exchange gentle smiles, but their attention is caught by a caw echoing from nearby-a green eagle glides through the air and lands a few feet away from them then quickly transforms into the familiar changeling. Gizmo glares at the green teen with vemonous dark eyes; Alex simply looks away, tears flooding his eyes again-this was the last person he needed to see right now.

"Alex! I've been looking all over for you, you had me worried sick." Beast Boy sighs, "What are you doing running off like that, in weather like this?"

"Why would you care?!" Gizmo snaps, quickly climbing to his feet then raising himself with his spider appendages from his pack as he quickly approached Beast Boy, reaching eye level with him.

"Why are you getting involved, Gizmo?" Beast Boy asks,

"Because I evidentally need to be involved, you traitor!" Gizmo growls,

"Traitor?" Beast Boy gasps, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, like you don't know,"

"Don't know what?"

"Well, let's see, how about he fact you _cheated_ on Alex?"

"I-I did no such thing!"

"Don't lie to me, I knew there was something going on with you, I've seen it myself!" Gizmo fumes,

"Wait, you've been spying on us?" Beast Boy growls,

"For good reason," Gizmo defends, "I knew you would screw up at some point because you could never keep a girl longer than a month. And now you have!"

"How exactly did I 'screw up'?" Beast Boy sarcastically inquires, "I'd like to know,"

"Well, for starters, how you've been avoiding Alex, or trying to, for the past month," Gzimo argues, How you were late to your meetings together after his classes almost every day since his new semester started, even how you've been treating him lately, as if you two were just 'friends with benefits' or something-you've been cheating on him and didn't have to guts to say anything to him!"

"What gives you the right to go and shoot accusations?" Beast Boy barks,

"How about the fact I just saved your 'supposed boyfriend' from killing himself because he caught _you and Raven __**together**_?!" Gizmo snarls,

"W-what?" Beast Boy stutters, glancing at the trembling redhead sitting on the ground behind the pint-sized villian, his head hanging low with his hood pulled tightly over his head. "A-Alex, I-I'm so sorry, I-"

Gizmo shoves him away as he tries to walk past him, "Just leave him alone! You've caused _enough_ damage already! You poisonous beast!" A sob chokes out from behind him, he quickly turns and rushes to the redhead's side, appendages retracting as he gets down to his shaken friend's side. "Alex?"

"Why?" Alex murmurs, slowly looking up at Beast Boy, fresh tears streaming down his face. "Just tell me why? Why would you cheat on me, Beast Boy? After all this time, after all I gave to you, why would you do it?" Beast Boy seems clueless to answer, "Answer me, dammit! WHY?!" He snaps,

"I-I just don't know," Beast Boy stammers, "It just happened, I-I-I-"

Alex chokes back a sob as he reaches into his pocket, grabbing at something concealed in it; bangs concealed his tear drenched eyes. "Y-you broke the wrong heart, B-Beast Boy," Alex sputters as he slowly pulls the object out, "I m-might not be able to make you p-pay for this-but I'll m-make sure you never forget." He swiftly holds the object to his throat-a pocket knife with a razor sharp edge. "Y-you'll never forget, I s-swear it."

"Alex, d-don't do anything drastic!" Beast Boy stutters, "W-we can work this out, I-"

"It's too late for talking, Beast Boy." Alex states, a sob slipping out as he spoke. "You can't fix what you've already broken,"

"Alex, don't do this," Gizmo pleads, grabbing Alex by the shoulder and wrist. "It's not worth dying over, I told you that-He's _not_ worth it. Put the knife down,"

"Oh? Who said anything about dying?" Alex chuckles, ripping off his jacket and cutting off the sleeve of his shirt. "I have a more _permanant_ solution to this,"

"Alex, what are you-" Beast Boy stops as Alex starts carving into his arm, dragging the blade down his arm from his shoulder around to his wrist, then slowly slitting his wrist.

"Think you'll forget _now_, Beast Boy?" Alex darkly chuckles, his body trembling greatly from the pain, slowly glancing up-his once tear glazed, gloomy eyes had now changed, now having more like a madman's gaze. "Think you'll ever forget the person _you broke_?"

His chuckles erupt into maniac laughter, which soon dies off as he passes out from blood loss, soon dropping the knife then collapsing against Gizmo, who is just barely able to catch him in his shocked state. After shifting him into a bridal style carry and climbing to his feet, he activates his jetpack.

"Where do you think you're taking him?!" Beast Boy growls,

"Away from what's hurt him to begin with, away from the suffering," Gizmo snaps, glaring at the changeling. "Away from _you_!"

With that, Gizmo takes off back to the H.I.V.E. FIVE hideout, not even stopping when his teammates try to question him as he speeds into the infirmary with his slowly fading cargo. After hours of working, Gizmo can only plant himself at the redhead's bedside, hoping he was not too late to save his life, and hoping the Alex he knew was not lost from the recent events, hoping the Alex he came to love was still with him.

After two days of this isolation, the other boys decide to volunteer Mammoth-the only close friend pf the smaller boy, to go and check on their small leader then quickly and quietly coercing him into the infirmary before camping outside the doors. The large, young male finds his pipsqueak friend still sitting at Alex's side, obvious bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his focus still fixed on resting redhead.

"Gizmo?" Mammoth nervously utters, "Is everything alright?"

"I hope so," Gizmo sighs, his gaze not leaving Alex.

Mammoth kneels down next to his friend, looking over the bedridden guest curiously-a realization suddenly comes to him. "So this is Alex?" He sighs; Gizmo simply nods as Mammoth places a hand on the smaller teen's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Gizmo,"

"But he's been out the past two days," Gizmo murmurs, "I think I was too late, I couldn't save him in time-he's stolen him from me _again_."

"Who?" Mammoth hums,

"Beast Boy," Gizmo angrily mutters, "He took him from me once, and now he's doing it again!" He holds his face in his hands as he sobs, not even caring if his tears were shown. "It can't end like this, I can't lose him now-after all this time and waiting, I can't lose him like this!" He violently cries into his hands, his larger friend consoling him as he does. "Why? Just why? Dammit, Beast Boy, why do you keep doing this to me?!"

"G-Gizmo?"

Gizmo quickly looks up from the quiet murmur of his name, the body before him stirring until chestnut brown eyes flutter open with a groan. "Alex!" He exclaims, stumbling as he quickly stands, grabbing the weaken redhead's hand with all his might. "Thank god, you're finally awake,"

"Gizmo," Alex sighs with a weak smile before looking around, "W-where am I?"

"You're in a safe place now, it's alright, you're safe now." Alex's gaze soon shifts to Mammoth standing behind Gizmo, the two meeting each other's eyes in the moment.

"Don't worry, Alex, everything's fine now." Mammoth sighs,

"H-How do you know my name?" Alex asks,

"Gizmo's talked a lot about you," Mammoth chuckles,

Alex glances at Gizmo, this time with a stronger smile. "So you were telling the truth,"

"Of course I was, I would never lie to you." Gizmo whispers, squeezing Alex's hand as his other hand brushed the pinkish bangs from the other's face then cupped his cheek. "I never _could_ lie to you, not like _he_ has already." The two exchange gentle smiles, "You're gonna be fine now, everything's gonna be fine."

"I hope so," Alex murmurs, wincing as he tries to move his arm,

"Take it easy," Gizmo coos, gently pushing Alex's arm back down. "You did a lot of nerve damage to your arm, you're gonna have some stitches in it for quite a while."

"Alright," Alex sighs, "At least I have you as my doctor then, thank god."

"Thank god indeed-but just rest for now, you need it." Gizmo suggests, "I'm not going too far from home, and _he_ won't get to you in here, I promise."

Alex settles back into bed and quickly falls asleep, allowing Gizmo to breath a sigh of relief.

"Thank god, he's alive, and back to normal," Gizmo murmurs,

_/I just hope it stays this way,/_


End file.
